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Direct Mail: Why It’s Still Relevant to Marketers & How to Maximize Your Production

Posted on January 5, 2017 by Author’s Valco Melton

You might hold a preconception that direct mail marketing is phasing out in comparison to other inbound marketing techniques such as online marketing, but that is not the case. The direct mailing marketing industry holds their own in comparison to other marketing channels. In fact, according to a Direct Marketing Association Response Rate Report, direct mail outperforms all digital channels combined (mobile, email, social media, paid search, and display advertising) by nearly 600%.

The report brings to light the many benefits of direct mail marketing. According to the study, the best performing format for direct mail is oversized envelopes, with a 5% response rate. In addition, direct mail offers strong return on marketing investment. The return on investment for direct mail is the same as social media (15-17%).

Direct mail marketing won’t be going away anytime soon. According to the 2015 DMA Response Rate Report, “Marketers continue to embrace multi-channel marketing, with 44% of the respondents using three or more channels for their marketing efforts. In these instances, the most popular channels tend to be email, direct mail and social media.”

However, there are some qualms that tag along with direct mail marketing. The most common concerns are the cost to deploy the mail and the difficulty of tracking it. Systems that simplify and streamline the folding and gluing operation for mailing applications as well as inline product scoring and perforating, plow folding, card tipping and gluing in one package can help minimize costs associated with deploying direct mail campaigns.

The ideal solution and systems to deploying direct mail campaigns include accurate dot, line or stitch patterns that have the capability of plow folding and gluing half fold, letter, fold, z folds, and gatefolds. In addition, a system for creating self-mailers in C, V and Z fold formats is best.

A system that feeds, registers, scores, perforates, glues and folds at speeds in excess of 50,000 pieces per hour will save time. In addition, a simple, easy to use pattern controller will increase an operator’s usability. Affordable solutions that are in compliance with current postal requirements for bulk mail are available.